traveling experience of a foreign in China

traveling experience of a foreign in China
Feb 7, 2005 21:41
NIHAOCHINA Points: Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Status: offline	Here are some emails from my newzealand friend Sara about her traveling in China recently, Hope they would be helpful. 1 Beijing I'm now in Beijing and loving it, there is so much to see and do. My sleeper bus from Shanghai wasn't actually that bad and they played 2 good movies. The second one was 'House of Flying Daggers' which I saw on the news the other day was actually up for some foreign film award. Got to Bejing about 10am, dumped my bags and headed to Tianamen Square which was a bit of a dissapointment, it's not very big. Everyone here has said they felt the same. I also went to the Forbidden City which was amazing. On the way home I ran into Hannah and her family who were on their way to the Forbidden City, it was quite funny because I recognised the scarf she made first. The first night there was only 1 other person in my room, a Korean girl who couldn't speak English so we had to speak in Chinese which was quite funny. The next day I went to 3 different Hutong areas (the narrow old streets where some people still live.) It was a really nice day just walking through. I walked for over 5 hours. I also went to the Bell and Drum Tower and to the shopping area which has a side street with lots of food. Next time I go I might have scorpion on a stick. Yesterday I went to the Summer Palace which is really beautiful, the lake was frozen so you could walk across it. At first I just walked around it because I thought knowing my luck I'd fall and hurt something, but then I decided to brave it and walked realy slowly. I then went to the Old Summer Palace - anyone coming to Beijing in winter DO NOT GO!!! It is a demonic wasteland and I hated it, threw a trantrum and left. They are doing a lot of work on it, there's no plants because it's too cold and there's no water in the lakes. A group of us then went out for Beijing duck for dinner, we had a really delicious meal, and it wasn't very expensive at all. We went with a Chinese couple, Jackie works here so they showed us a good cheap place to go. Today I decided to have a lazy day becasue I was walking from 9am-5pm yesterday. I went to Lama Temple and to the Confucian Temple and College. Later I'll go and see the change of guard at Tianamen Square and go to a night market. Don't know what I'm up to tomorrow but on Friday I'm going to the great wall. I'm going to do the 4 hour walk along the wall from Jinshanling to Simatai. Apparently it's quite a hard walk but well worth the pain. In Shanghai a guy showed me his pictures of the walk and it looks really steep so I'm a bit worried.

Feb 7, 2005 21:41

NIHAOCHINA
Points:
Join Date: Mar 30, 2004
Status: offline

Here are some emails from my newzealand friend Sara about her traveling in China recently, Hope they would be helpful.

1 Beijing

I'm now in Beijing and loving it, there is so much to see and do.

My sleeper bus from Shanghai wasn't actually that bad and they played 2 good movies. The second one was 'House of Flying Daggers' which I saw on the news the other day was actually up for some foreign film award.

Got to Bejing about 10am, dumped my bags and headed to Tianamen Square which was a bit of a dissapointment, it's not very big. Everyone here has said they felt the same. I also went to the Forbidden City which was amazing. On the way home I ran into Hannah and her family who were on their way to the Forbidden City, it was quite funny because I recognised the scarf she made first.

The first night there was only 1 other person in my room, a Korean girl who couldn't speak English so we had to speak in Chinese which was quite funny.

The next day I went to 3 different Hutong areas (the narrow old streets where some people still live.) It was a really nice day just walking through. I walked for over 5 hours. I also went to the Bell and Drum Tower and to the shopping area which has a side street with lots of food. Next time I go I might have scorpion on a stick.

Yesterday I went to the Summer Palace which is really beautiful, the lake was frozen so you could walk across it. At first I just walked around it because I thought knowing my luck I'd fall and hurt something, but then I decided to brave it and walked realy slowly. I then went to the Old Summer Palace - anyone coming to Beijing in winter DO NOT GO!!! It is a demonic wasteland and I hated it, threw a trantrum and left. They are doing a lot of work on it, there's no plants because it's too cold and there's no water in the lakes.

A group of us then went out for Beijing duck for dinner, we had a really delicious meal, and it wasn't very expensive at all. We went with a Chinese couple, Jackie works here so they showed us a good cheap place to go.

Today I decided to have a lazy day becasue I was walking from 9am-5pm yesterday. I went to Lama Temple and to the Confucian Temple and College. Later I'll go and see the change of guard at Tianamen Square and go to a night market.

Don't know what I'm up to tomorrow but on Friday I'm going to the great wall. I'm going to do the 4 hour walk along the wall from Jinshanling to Simatai. Apparently it's quite a hard walk but well worth the pain. In Shanghai a guy showed me his pictures of the walk and it looks really steep so I'm a bit worried.

Feb 8, 2005 02:19	#1
MCHEN Points: Join Date: Dec 29, 2004 Status: Offline	Thanks for sharing. It was a good read. Hope you can post some of the photos your friend took on the trip.

Feb 10, 2005 22:56

ELCABRON
Points:
Join Date: Feb 9, 2005
Status: Offline

Ni hao!

nice report! Yes, Simatai is my favourite part of the great wall, as far as I can compare it to other parts. It is more in a true state - not everything rebuilt. For example Badaling looks more like a kind of disneyland. Everything looks as if it is new. There is no adventure.
In some parts it is so steep, you have to go on your feet and hands, I love it.
On postcards Simatai looks like a dragon? back!

BUT last time they started to built a lift up to the wall - commerce is coming!

Feb 12, 2005 00:13	#3
MERMAID Points: Join Date: Jan 7, 2005 Status: Offline	Commerce is like a monster.

Feb 12, 2005 01:02	#4
ELCABRON Points: Join Date: Feb 9, 2005 Status: Offline	Hey, mermaid, you are everywhere at the same time!

Feb 12, 2005 11:08	#5
MERMAID Points: Join Date: Jan 7, 2005 Status: Offline	thank u for ur comment on Chinese people when u answered that sportennis. Many Chinese people speak english now-that's very convenient for foreigners.

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